Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.

Depressed is safe. Manic on the other hand...

"Safe"? Um... what happens if a depressed nuclear reactor decides to commit suicide? Meltdown at best, nuclear explosion at worst? As Arthur Dent once said, this is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn’t previously aware of.

"Sarnt major, 681 Jones is in 12 platoon, isn't he? Just got word his parents were killed last night in a Zeppelin raid. Please break it to him gently, there's a good chap"Later, on parade."COMPANY! ATTEN..wait for it you horrible little man..SHUN!"12 Platoon! All those not orphaned take one step forwarNOT YOU JONES!"

So with a nearly-identical body, Roko would still have a foot sensitivity and her bread fetish -- since those are part of her reinforced core.

Do reactor AIs have to be in intimate contact with actively fissioning material? I'm guessing they must be literally on top of things because of the need for faster than faster-than-lightning response time. Lag not acceptable!

I'm pleased that Crushbot is not as insensitive as his first appearance made him appear. I presume he sent flowers. Or whatever AIs do in such circumstances?

« Last Edit: 01 Jan 2019, 17:07 by Perfectly Reasonable »

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What would I do if I were smart? I guess first I'd stop taking the stupid pills.

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one. It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal. Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one. It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal. Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.

You buy a house with your significant other, raise your kids there, have parties, invite families over, make it into a home. Then a hurricane/tornado comes ripping through your house destroying it to the foundation. Nothing you've lost is unrecoverable, but that home that you had made with your life has been destroyed. That door frame into the house isn't the same one, it doesn't have the knife marks you made when you were measuring how tall your kids were growing. The recliner in the living room that you bought from a second hand store when you first moved in doesn't have its cushions molded to the shape of your body.. It's just not home yet.. It'll get there.. but right now it's not home..

I suspect Faye and Bubbles will get her working in one way or another, maybe they will be able to preform a miracle of some sort on Roko's body..

Well Roko still slips into her Boston accent in stressful situations so she still has that.

Even though she can get a chassis that may be superior to her previous one it would seem that she was attached to the previous one in more ways than one. It's interesting because while I can understand how a human would react if their body was crushed beyond recovery AIs have the luxury of downloading into a new chassis making the effectively immortal. Perhaps she's more sentimental than most AIs.

Well she's already explained awhile back that she's very attached to her body, and she's had it from day 1. It's why she has that psychosomatic response to damage to herself or others. I remember when she had Faye work on her cranky ankle that she had A Very Bad Time, so this is gonna be pretty devastating to her. I'm wondering if she's gonna get stuck in a temporary crap body like what May is stuck in. I mean, she was already getting ready to start volunteer work for AI rights and stuff, and she's expressed distaste at the way May had been treated, so this is just another step toward either really getting close to May or really becoming a hella fawkin' good AI advocate.

The message I get from this is, Bubbles can lift/move several tons. I personally prefer to believe she did it hastily by hand instead of using any other assistance such as a crane or jack from the the shop.

The message I get from this is, Bubbles can lift/move several tons. I personally prefer to believe she did it hastily by hand instead of using any other assistance such as a crane or jack from the the shop.

I'm sure she didn't go running in to grab a crane. The only question in my mind is whether or not she asked Crushbot's permission before she picked him up and threw him across the street to get at Roko's body. Bubbles has shown herself to be...single-minded...when it comes to the well-being of her friends.

Poor Roko! Of course, this is no surprise to us from our third-person perspective but it must be a horrible blow for her with her close core/chassis integration!

I had to think about today's strip for a bit and realised that it was necessary to do a whole strip to confirm what any reader ought to have guessed pretty much at once. Why? Because Jeph had to show Roko learning what had happened to her so we see her reaction and emotional development in a clear and continuous fashion. Basically, it would have been bad writing to 'tell not show' something as significant as this.

1. Poor Roko, besides physical trauma, I am sure there is deep emotional trauma from a total body-chassis loss.

2. The real question is how much of a "very robust" insurance policy Crushbot has.

We know that even a "basic" humanoid chassis is significantly costly. Whether Roko's body-chassis had something of higher-grade due to being Law Enforcement (besides her processor & memory core reinforcement-protection), which means something even more costly, we do not know.

And knowing insurance companies, I doubt Roko will not get much in the way of "satisfactory" coverage for a new body-chassis.

Very much unlike their minds, the bodies of QC synthetics seem to be manufactured assembly-line quality-controlled items.

Roko could presumably get a near-identical replacement.

Would that be good enough?

It depends to what level she'd fine-tuned her sensor settings and parts to her preferences; she could be in for months of monkeying around with her preferences trying to get the darn thing working right.

There is also the psychological problems that sci-fi occasionally directs towards cloning. It looks like her body but she knows it isn't her body. That could lead to disabling dysphoric issues.

Here's hoping she doesn't get an M$ model.As soon asshe gets the preferences where she wants them, there'd be un update that screwed everything up!

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and the universe said you are not alone and the universe said you are not separate from every other thing

This arc and its implications reminds me of a Kim Possible/The Bionic Woman crossover that I read a few years back. In it, the titular heroine is horrendously injured in a bomb explosion and the only way to avoid her being left a permanently institutionalised cripple, barely better than a vegetable, is radical prosthetic surgery, replacing all four limbs, most of her sensory organs and skin with synthetic replacements as well as heavily augmenting her brain to interface with this amount of electronic appliances.

From there, the story starts going into Ghost in the Shell territory. Being comfortably over 75% synthetic, Kim starts questioning if she's still really is Kim Possible anymore or a sophisticated android that's using some of the late Kim's biological parts to function. There is also the more physical issue that she now weights around 250lbs because of the amount of titanium, coltan and plutonium in her rebuilt body including its micro-fission power system. Not being able see, hear, smell or even feel in the same way as a human anymore doesn't help very much.

I mention this because I think it gives something of an insight into what Roko is likely to go through in the medium-term. No matter how alike her new chassis is to her original, Roko is still going to have this feeling of dislocation - A sense that she is, at the very least, heavily changed from who she was before and, at the worst, that she is not really 'Roko' anymore but a totally different being that just has a copy of a dead woman's memories.

Additionally, Lemon and Roko's interactions in the virtual environment remind me of the early phase of the story. During the reconstructive process, the scientists use the bionic interface circuitry to 'jack' into Kim's brain and interface directly with her consciousness to help her prepare for what was happening to her and to enable her to assist them in testing all the systems to ensure they were interfacing properly with the remainder of her biological central nervous system.

I'm sure she didn't go running in to grab a crane. The only question in my mind is whether or not she asked Crushbot's permission before she picked him up and threw him across the street to get at Roko's body. Bubbles has shown herself to be...single-minded...when it comes to the well-being of her friends.

I slept almost immediately after reading the page, and the following scene played out in my dreams: Bubbles deadlifts Crushbot off Roko while Faye silently and perfectly in sync slides in and moves Roko's shattered chassis out of the impact zone. Panels 2-10 are Faye doing triage on Roko's chassis(making sure to safely render Roko unconscious if the Massive Physical Trauma hadn't done so) while Bubbles makes sure Crushbot A: isn't damaged from the fall and B: Understands what just happened. panels 11 and 12 are Faye picking up the parts that are still attached to Roko's AI Drive and running, presumably to the Intensive Care version of Union Robotics' Urgent Care Facility.

Given the nature of her condition and bread fetish, she'd probably end up being more like "Talky Toaster" from Red Dwarf.

Jeph has explained that Roko's primary relationship with bread is tactile and olfactory. It wouldn't be the same in any other way.

The nearest equivalent would be if the sensory nerves were cut to your most sensitive spot. It just simply wouldn't have any effect if you were touched there beyond a possible vague 'sense memory'.

On the other hand, of your putting an AI in a toaster, it's not hard to imagine you'd also put in some specialised sensors, to judge the doneness of toast by roach and smell as well as temperature and rolling. I find it hard to see the use otherwise. And well, having senses uniquely and specifically qualified for what you enjoy...

From what I'm gathering, Roko needs more than a replacement leg - more like a replacement everything. Except her brain/central processor of course.

Well by the sound of it the only reason her core survived was because of the extra reinforcement she got when she joined the police force. In the cliffhanger comic Crushbot had fallen on her entire body, you couldn't see anything other than a hand and her ponytail. So it seems Roko only very narrowly escaped death.

From what I'm gathering, Roko needs more than a replacement leg - more like a replacement everything. Except her brain/central processor of course.

Well by the sound of it the only reason her core survived was because of the extra reinforcement she got when she joined the police force. In the cliffhanger comic Crushbot had fallen on her entire body, you couldn't see anything other than a hand and her ponytail. So it seems Roko only very narrowly escaped death.

Even so, the incident was a crushing blow to her mental health. The rest of the cast is going to have to make sure she doesn't slip into depression and fall apart.

1. Poor Roko, besides physical trauma, I am sure there is deep emotional trauma from a total body-chassis loss.

2. The real question is how much of a "very robust" insurance policy Crushbot has.

We know that even a "basic" humanoid chassis is significantly costly. Whether Roko's body-chassis had something of higher-grade due to being Law Enforcement (besides her processor & memory core reinforcement-protection), which means something even more costly, we do not know.

And knowing insurance companies, I doubt Roko will not get much in the way of "satisfactory" coverage for a new body-chassis.

If Marigold could afford Momo’s upgrade then I think Crushbot’s insurance can provide a suitable replacement.

Looks like everything will eventually turn out all right for Roko, but now I'm terrified of depressed nuclear reactors.

Depressed is safe. Manic on the other hand...

"Safe"? Um... what happens if a depressed nuclear reactor decides to commit suicide? Meltdown at best, nuclear explosion at worst? As Arthur Dent once said, this is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn’t previously aware of.

The word "depressed' is often colloquially used to suggest a state of melancholy, disappointment or unhappiness.

There are many people here more qualified than me, but IMO., those emotions have about as much to do with depression as being in a slight drizzle has to do with being shipwrecked. Yes, both involve water, and neither is pleasant.

It's like your soul running out of fuel.

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"Freedom is always the freedom of the dissenter" - Rosa Luxemburg"The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you're a member of the Dunning-Kruger club. People miss that." - David Dunning

If Marigold could afford Momo’s upgrade then I think Crushbot’s insurance can provide a suitable replacement.

I have worked at one time for a consultancy that did work for insurance adjusters.Those guys may be specialists in labour, housing, automotive but computers and software has them totally lost.

With respect to the chassis issues, just because a model is no longer in production does not mean that exact same model series cannot be found on the open market.Also the insurance company always makes the final decision and if a replacement is cheaper than a repair then the cheaper solution it is.Most times the software had been registered so all was just a download away. Claimants either are very happy about this or cry because they cant get a free upgrade to anchient software.

As for the hardware, if a model was not available on any market at all then a like for like replacement would be sought out that met or exceeded the capabilities of the original system specifications.

As a consultant I had to find at least three alternatives that met the basic specifications of the original system yet at the lowest price points reasonably possible.This is where the adjuster would then take your quotes, pass the numbers onto their boss and then consult with the claimant on whichever the bean counter allowed.Most times the claimant was given the choice of cash equivalent to the replacement system or the replacement system.

Due to being within the computer and systems service industry the price points are very very different compared to the consumer market - if the insurance company liked the client they would give them a broader choice of options. After all that the claimant then finally becomes your client and they can pony up what cash they want to to add newer features they would like, at better than retail of course.

Only if it was spelled out fully in the policy that there must be no substitutions would that ever even be considered.There are those conditions in some policies for reasons of compatibility with other hardware but most times it was proprietary software which limited the options to specific make and models of components.

Gah - I rambled on again didn't I?

Warning - while you were typing a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your post once again and maybe not go that far down memory lane.

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A good pun is it's own reword.There is a difference between spare parts, extra parts and left over parts.

The Venn diagram for Common Sense and Good Sense has very little, if any, overlap.

I don't recall any indication of how "old" Roko's mind and/or body are (other than "I've had it since I was born"), but it's obviously one of the higher-end models that appeared fairly recently, between Winslow's old iPod-ish chassis and his bubblegum incarnation.

Tech obviously moves fast in the QC-verse, and it'll be interesting to see whether Roko will ever feel "right" enough in a new body with presumably upgraded hardware (Will she still have the bread fetish thing?). Winslow and Momo were instantly at home in their new bodies, so what might keep Roko from experiencing the same?

She'll almost certainly insist on the same appearance. If that takes time to build, will she be too creeped out by a temporary body, or might she ask to be put in sleep mode for a while?

One of Roko's hallmarks is her degree of body integration. And Spookybot just visited her and gave her a bit of teasing about . Was that meant to be a portent of what was about to occur. Not so much from Jeph, but do the Spookybot group perceive time differently, and was giving Roko a veiled warning?

Im pretty sure thinking about melon, sitting in a server room, singing the only song she knows, to comfort her best friend, is the closest I've come to crying over a webcomic for a while. To be fair ive spent a long time hospitalized so i guess i empathize.

By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard. Im assuming its the only one melon is singing.) 25 x 1257 = 31,425 seconds / 3600 = 8.7 straight hours. I hope melon brought her charger.

Im pretty sure thinking about melon, sitting in a server room, singing the only song she knows, to comfort her best friend, is the closest I've come to crying over a webcomic for a while. To be fair ive spent a long time hospitalized so i guess i empathize.

By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard. Im assuming its the only one melon is singing.) 25 x 1257 = 31,425 seconds / 3600 = 8.7 straight hours. I hope melon brought her charger.

By the way, its probably just a throwaway number Jeph chose because its funny, but twinkle twinkle little star is about 25 seconds long (at least, the first stanza is, which is the only one i have ever heard.

Ah, but how long does it take to sing it to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody", as Jeph noted under the comic? Since the lyrics to TTLS don't last long enough to fill up an 8-minute melody, does she start over from the beginning each time she restarts the lyrics, or does she just keep continuing on through the melody?

Just trying to imagine it, I now have "Twinkle, twinkle little star, Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will you do the fandango?" running through my head...

I think that today's strip is really extra-sweet and beautiful. Although he plays it for laughs (and I bet she can't sing in tune), Jeph really puts a lot of emotion into Melon's expression and body language in panel 6. She's clearly very, very upset about what's happened to Roko and is desperately trying to help her in any way she can. It sort of establishes all over again in my head the way that Roko seems to be almost a big sister-like figure to Melon.

It also reinforces for me how young and innocent Melon seems. It's the sort of thing a young child would do for a beloved friend or relative who is in a coma or something. In some ways, it's as much to comfort herself as it is for Roko.

Just thinking - maybe it could have been a lot worse? At least Roko is repairable - but Crushbot could just as easily have landed on an organic.......ewww.....

Also makes me wonder about the legal ramifications of plainly-unstable heavy machinery like Crushbot just wandering the streets - maybe he should have flashing warning lights? Or an escort vehicle with sign? You know, like "WARNING - OVERSIZE LOAD" ?

I wondered about that as well. I get that AI are people too, but that doesn't explain how a chassis weighing several tonnes is allowed on a sidewalk. Especially since over here not even bikes, once you're over 9 years old, are allowed on there.

Also makes me wonder about the legal ramifications of plainly-unstable heavy machinery like Crushbot just wandering the streets - maybe he should have flashing warning lights? Or an escort vehicle with sign? You know, like "WARNING - OVERSIZE LOAD" ?

There's two things you need to remember. Firstly, it's clear that, given the way Crushbot was insured and the way his insurance company rolled over without a fight, they know just how potentially hazardous they are.

Secondly, I don't think that Crushbot is intrinsically unstable; if they were, they wouldn't be allowed onto the public streets. However, they stepped on a loose, low-traction and unanticipated high-grade slope (a broken crate of bananas. Any machinery would struggle to stay balanced and upright in those circumstances.